“E, leai, I’m not doing an encore. I’m an old woman, you stupid chicken. The last time I sang and danced like that… oi, ‘ta fia ola e. My wedding day. I was so young and beautiful, and so was Papa.”

Mama’s proud of her flourishing veggie garden. So when she discovers a stray chicken enjoying her greens, her first instinct is to reach for the spade. But what starts as an all-out war develops into a grudging friendship. A beautiful, beguiling and very funny play about loneliness and the resilience of communities.

Still Life with Chickens won the Adam NZ play award 2017 and also the award for Best Play by a Pasifika Playwright.

Goretti Chadwick is a well-known face in New Zealand theatre, television and film. Her screen credits include Pani & Pani, Auckland Daze, Vermillion, Apron Strings and Sione’s Wedding. Highlights with Auckland Theatre Company include The Good Soul of Szechuan, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and To Kill a Mockingbird.